With a Final Breath
by A Summer Rose
Summary: "An oath to keep with a final breath" "I curse you, Percy, to feel the pain I'm experiencing..." "You will regret this, Percy. I swear it on the River Styx." AU, but not a huge change in plot. Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
I was killed by a blue-eyed, blond-haired boy. While reforming was painful, getting back to the mortal world was worse. I was attacked, by claws, by teeth, even by voices. I learned how to defend myself, using a large shard of glass from the banks of the Phlegethon. Strangely, after all the fighting I did, I didn't feel particularly violent or bloodthirsty. When I finally reached the mortal world I sought out a quiet and peaceful life. I didn't get it.

* * *

When I met him, he was being bullied. I had to admire him; he was outnumbered four to one but was still defiant, refusing to cower before them. I watched as he was repeatedly beaten down to the ground, but always struggled to stand up again. He must have been only eight or nine, a scrawny little kid. I felt sorry for him and stepped in. Although I was young, I was pretty intimidating. The bullies took one look at me and fled. The boy looked up at me distrustfully. "Who are you?"

"I'm Argo," I replied. "Who are you?"

"The boy looked up, not noticing that I only had one eye, the expression on his face relaxing a bit as he replied "My name is Percy Jackson."

* * *

When Percy was twelve, he disappeared. He had told me the day he would be back, and I had even seen him go into his apartment building. A week or so passed and he did not appear. Then one day I saw the newspaper. Percy was on the front page, holding a bronze sword. I understood why. The clues had been piling up over the years we had become friends. I had just been foolish enough to ignore them.

Percy's full name was Perseus, a Greek hero, a son of Zeus. Percy's father had gone missing, but Percy's mother had never accepted that he was dead saying he had been lost at sea. Percy had dyslexia and ADHD. Percy had been pretty much been kicked out of all the schools he had gone to. But one thing didn't fit. Percy had always smelled human, almost repulsively so. Then I remembered Smelly Gabe, Percy's stepfather who he had always said smelled like "moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts". He could have been concealing Percy's scent all those years.

Even if he was a demigod, even if he was going to be trained to kill me, Percy was still my first and only friend. I decided to look for him, tell him what I was. I had heard rumors of monsters and neglected demigods joining a reforming Kronos. He's gathering an army, monsters whispered. I decided to join him. I knew that Percy wasn't too happy with his father. Perhaps I could find him there. After fruitlessly searching, I knew I wouldn't find him there.

I made friends. There were other Cyclopes beside me, and I befriended them. Together, we went on missions and we became close.  
I focused on improving my skill with a sword. I managed to obtain one from Troy, who was a master crafts-cyclops, and spent all the free time I had practicing it. I got many strange looks from the monsters and demigods alike.

A demigod named Luke taught me how to improve my sword skills. He had grudgingly admitted that I had potential, but he always spoke to me with distaste. I wondered if he had remembered meeting me, and then killing me. Luke was smart, I had to give him that. And unlike most of my kind, I valued cleverness, not only strength. He found a way right into the heart of the demigods' camp. The army rushed out, only to find the demigods were expecting us.

* * *

I first experienced the feeling of loss when Troy, one of my best friends died, saving me from a being stabbed in the back. When I noticed his corpse slowly dissolving into golden dust, and what he had done for me was made clear, I snapped. I charged, yelling, toward the black haired boy who had just pulled his sword out of Troy's body. He parried my blow, and I realized he was a pretty good fighter. We knew the same tricks and each had our own advantages. I was stronger, and he was faster. But I had anger and a thirst for vengeance fueling me, and I disarmed him. I held a my sword to his throat and as I pushed him down to the ground. I studied his face. There was something familiar about it.

He mumbled, "If you're going to kill me, can you just get on with it?"

 _That voice!_ I hadn't heard it for about two years, but I immediately recognized it. I took a closer look at the teen's green eyes and familiar face. It was Percy. I stepped back, my mind reeling, the sound of my sword falling covered by the clangs of sword on sword on shield around me.  
Percy seemed stunned that I had just let him go. Then he whipped out his sword, _didn't I just disarm him?_ and stabbed me in the gut.

I felt myself dissolving, turning to dust. The feeling of cold bronze in my stomach was nothing compared the the pain in my heart. My best friend had killed me. Even if he hadn't known who I was. The betrayal hurt, causing me to feel like I was slowly burning to ashes, or at least what I thought burning to ashes would feel like. _I curse you, Percy to feel the pain I'm experiencing: to feel the agony of betrayal, to feel the pain of being stabbed in the gut, and the feeling of dissolving into dust,_ I cursed, as I began my journey to Tartarus. In my anger, I also swore an oath, _You will regret this, Percy. I swear it on the River Styx._ Just before I blacked out, I heard the distant rumble of thunder and knew my mental oath had been accepted.

* * *

I reformed near the banks of the Phlegethon. As I burst from the reddish membrane I had been enclosed in, I spotted a dagger on the ground. I picked it up, studying it closely. It was definitely celestial bronze. That meant it must had been dropped by a demigod. Celestial bronze daggers didn't appear randomly in Tartarus. I took it, and began walking, a strong urge to reach the heart of Tartarus.

* * *

Later on, I spotted a blue car, another rare sight in Tartarus. The journey was tedious. The dagger was useful in killing monsters, and as I walked, I began to regret my words. As I replayed what happened, I wondered killing me was Percy's instinctive reaction. Maybe he hadn't actually meant it. Maybe he hadn't actually changed. I hoped he would never enter Tartarus, my curse would be awful on him.

On that thought, I wondered what had happened after my death. Had the Olympians won? Was Percy still alive? Did he even remember me?

When I finally reached the heart of Tartarus, the pull stopped and I gasped at the sight. A black and silver paneled elevator door stood, chained down to the ground, and guarded by two beings I guessed were Titans. Instinctively, I knew they were the Doors of Death. There were masses of monsters, hellhounds, empousai, dracaena, Cyclopes, and more. As I inched closer to the Doors, I saw black lightning flash into the sky. The chains shook, and the Titans planted their feet on the hooks to keep them secure. The Doors slid open, revealing the gilded interior of an elevator car.  
I heard a Titan call out, "Group A-22! Hurry up, you sluggards!" A dozen Cyclopes rushed forward, waving little red tickets and shouting excitedly. They shouldn't have been able to fit inside those human-sized doors, but as the Cyclopes got close, their bodies distorted and shrank, the Doors of Death sucking them inside. The other Titan jabbed his thumb against the up button on the elevator's right side. The Doors slid closed. The frame shuddered again. The dark lightning faded.

Then I saw another Titan, dressed in a janitor's outfit talking to a cat on his shoulder. I noticed two corpses around him, one looking very familiar. Percy and a blonde girl were next to Bob, but they looked dead. Were they dead? No one else seemed to have noticed anything. There was only one way to find out.

I strode up to them, overhearing the girl say, "Then we cut the chains." I realized they must have been planning to close the Doors of Death. I wanted to know why.

I heard Percy reply, "Our camouflage," he said. "Will it disappear if we do something aggressive, like cutting the chains?"

I decided it was time to interrupt. "Hi Percy, why are you planning to close the Doors?"

Percy whipped around, his sword out, his face alight with surprise and confusion. "You said that only friends could see us!" He accused the Titan.

"Well, technically, I am a friend. Or at least I don't mean you any harm," I told him. "And before you recognize me, I'd like to say I'm sorry for cursing you. It wasn't entirely your fault. Also, what happened after I died? Who won? Why are you here in Tartarus anyway? I'm pretty sure you're a demigod, not a monster. And who's the girl?"

Percy looked a bit taken aback by my questions. Then the girl cut in, "Where did you find that?!" She cried, pointing at the dagger I still held loosely by my side.

"I don't even know your name yet. Why should I tell you? Is it yours?" As soon as I said that, I realized it was a stupid question. What were the chances that another demigod was wandering around in Tartarus?

"My name is Annabeth, the Titan is Bob, and that dagger is mine. Now whe-" She began, but was interrupted by Percy.

"I know you!" He accused me, looking angry, "You cursed me! Do you know how much that hurt?!"

"Uh, yeah, I cursed you. I already apologized for it though. And of course I know how much that hurt, I was experiencing it while you killed me. After I spared you, as I might add." I replied.

"That was you?!" Percy looked even more stunned. "But why... never mind. Fine, let's say I accept your apology. What can you do to help us? Also, you know both of our names, but we don't know yours."

"You can call me Troy," I told him, using the name of my dead friend.

"Is that your real name?"

"No. Now can one of you tell me what has gone on after I died?"

Percy and Annabeth took turns briefing me on what had happened: the outcome of the war, about the new prophecy, the discovery of another camp, and how they had fallen into Tartarus.

"So... we go and cut the chains and hope nothing bad happens while we get in and leave Tartarus?" I summarized.

"Yes, basically," Annabeth replied.

"Okay, one last question," I turned to Percy, "How did you get your sword back? I disarmed you!"

"Riptide is enchanted to always come back to me," he answered, looking proud.

"Ah, okay. So what are we waiting for? Let's close the Doors!"

"Yes, fine," Bob, who had been silent the entire time, said. "But that is not the problem. Once you are inside the Doors, someone must stay outside to push the button and defend it."

"Uh...defend the button?" Percy questioned.

Bob nodded, scratching his kitten under the chin. "Someone must keep pressing the UP button for twelve minutes, or the journey will not finish."

I glanced at the Doors. Sure enough, Krios still had his thumb jammed on the UP button. Twelve minutes... Somehow, we would have to get the Titans away from those doors. Then Bob, Percy, Annabeth, or I would have to keep that button pushed for twelve long minutes, in the middle of an army of monsters in the heart of Tartarus, while the rest of them rode to the mortal world. It was impossible.

"Why twelve minutes?" Percy asked.

"I do not know," Bob said. "Why twelve Olympians, or twelve Titans?"

"Fair enough," Percy said.

"What do you mean the journey won't finish?" Annabeth asked. "What happens to the passengers?"

Bob didn't answer. Judging from his pained expression, I decided I didn't want to be in that elevator if the car stalled between Tartarus and the mortal world.

"If we do push the button for twelve minutes," Percy said, "and the chains are cut-"

"The Doors should reset," Bob said. "That is what they are supposed to do. They will disappear from Tartarus. They will appear somewhere else, where Gaea cannot use them."

"Thanatos can reclaim them," Annabeth said. "Death goes back to normal, and the monsters lose their shortcut to the mortal world."

Percy exhaled. "Easy-peasy. Except for...well, everything."

Small Bob purred.

"I will push the button," Bob volunteered.

"Bob, we can't ask you to do that. You want to go through the Doors too. You want to see the sky again, and the stars, and-" Percy responded.

"I would like that," Bob agreed. "But someone must push the button. And once the chains are cut...my brethren will fight to stop your passage. They will not want the Doors to disappear."

We were all silent. Percy looked lost in thought, while Annabeth stared at him suspiciously.

"Percy...?" She started.

"First things first," he said. "Let's cut those chains."

"Iapetus!" Hyperion bellowed, as Bob walked towards the Doors, "Well, well. I thought you were hiding under a cleaning bucket somewhere."

"Bob lumbered forward, scowling. "I was not hiding."

Percy crept toward the right side of the Doors. Annabeth sneaked toward the left, while I tried to blend in with the rest of the Cyclopes, ready to attack if we were discovered.

Annabeth had decided to take the side Hyperion, one of the Titans near the elevator, was guarding, on the theory that Hyperion was more likely to sense Percy. After all, Percy was the last one to have killed him in the mortal world.

On Percy's side of the Doors, Krios, the other Titan, stood dark and silent, his ram's-headed helmet covering his face. He kept one foot planted on the chain's anchor and his thumb on the UP button.

Bob faced his brethren. He planted his spear and tried to look as fierce as possible with a kitten on his shoulder. "Hyperion and Krios. I remember you both."

"Do you, Iapetus?" The golden Titan laughed, glancing at Krios to share the joke. "Well, that's good to know! I heard Percy Jackson turned you into a brainwashed scullery maid. What did he rename you...Betty?"

"Bob," snarled Bob.

"Well, it's about time you showed up, Bob. Krios and I have been stuck here for weeks-"

"Hours," Krios corrected, his voice a deep rumble inside his helmet.

"Whatever!" Hyperion said. "It's boring work, guarding these doors, shuffling monsters through at Gaea's orders. Krios, what's our next group, anyway?"

"Double Red," said Krios.

Hyperion sighed. The flames glowed hotter across his shoulders. "Double Red. Why do we go from A-22 to Double Red? What kind of system is that?" He glared at Bob. "This is no job for me-the Lord of Light! Titan of the East! Master of Dawn! Why am I forced to wait in the darkness while the giants go into battle and get all the glory? Now, Krios I can understand-"

"I get all the worst assignments," Krios muttered, his thumb still on the button.

"But me?" Hyperion said. "Ridiculous! This should be your job, Iapetus. Here, take my place for a while."

Bob stared at the Doors, but his gaze was distant-lost in the past. "The four of us held down our father, Ouranos," he remembered. "Koios, and me, and the two of you. Kronos promised us mastery of the four corners of the earth for helping with the murder."

"Indeed," Hyperion said. "And I was happy to do it! I would've wielded the scythe myself if I'd had the chance! But you, Bob...you were always conflicted about that killing, weren't you? The soft Titan of the West, soft as the sunset! Why our parents named you the Piercer, I will never know. More like the Whimper."

Percy had reached the anchor hook. He uncapped his pen and Riptide grew to full length. I released my breath as Krios didn't react. His attention was firmly fixed on Bob, who had just leveled the point of his spear at Hyperion's chest.

"I can still pierce," Bob said, his voice low and even. "You brag too much, Hyperion. You are bright and fiery, but Percy Jackson defeated you anyway. I hear you became a nice tree in Central Park."  
 _Wait, Percy had turned a Titan into a tree? He didn't mention that!_ I thought. Then I focused back on the present.

Hyperion's eyes smoldered. "Careful, brother."

"At least a janitor's work is honest," Bob said. "I clean up after others. I leave the palace better than I found it. But you...you do not care what messes you make. You followed Kronos blindly. Now you take orders from Gaea."

"She is our mother!" Hyperion bellowed.

"She did not wake for our war on Olympus," Bob recalled. "She favors her second brood, the giants."

Krios grunted. "That's true enough. The children of the pit."

"Both of you hold your tongues!" Hyperion's voice was tinged with fear. "You never know when he is listening."

The elevator dinged. All three Titans jumped.

Had it been twelve minutes? I had lost track of time. Krios took his finger off the button and called out, "Double Red! Where is Double Red?"  
Hordes of monsters stirred and jostled one another, but none of them came forward.

Krios heaved a sigh. "I told them to hang on to their tickets. Double Red! You'll lose your place in the queue!"

Annabeth was in position, right behind Hyperion. She raised her drakon-bone sword over the base of the chains. In the fiery light of the Titan's armor, her Death Mist disguise made her look like a burning ghoul. She held up three fingers, ready to count down. She and Percy had to cut the chains before the next group tried to take the elevator, but they also had to make sure the Titans were as distracted as possible.

Hyperion muttered a curse. "Just wonderful. This will completely mess up our schedule." He sneered at Bob. "Make your choice, brother. Fight us or help us. I don't have time for your lectures."

Bob glanced at Annabeth and Percy. I thought he might start a fight, but instead he raised the point of his spear. "Very well. I will take guard duty. Which of you wants a break first?"

"Me, of course," Hyperion said.

"Me!"Krios snapped. "I've been holding that button so long my thumb is going to fall off."

"I've been standing here longer," Hyperion grumbled. "You two guard the Doors while I go up to the mortal world. I have some Greek heroes to wreak vengeance upon!"

"Oh, no!" Krios complained. "That Roman boy is on his way to Epirus-the one who killed me on Mount Othrys. Got lucky, he did. Now it's my turn."

"Bah!" Hyperion drew his sword. "I'll gut you first, Ram-head!"

Krios raised his own blade. "You can try, but I won't be stuck in this stinking pit any longer!"

Annabeth and Percy were about to cut the chains when a high-pitched whine pierced my ears, like the sound of an incoming rocket. I just had time to think: Uh-oh. Then an explosion rocked the hillside. A wave of heat knocked my backward. Dark shrapnel ripped through Krios and Hyperion, shredding them as easily as wood in a chipper.

"STINKING PIT." A hollow voice rolled across the plains, shaking the warm fleshy ground.

Bob staggered to his feet. Somehow the explosion hadn't touched him. He swept his spear in front of him, trying to locate the source of the voice. Small Bob the kitten crawled into his coveralls.  
Annabeth had landed about twenty feet from the Doors. When she stood, Percy looked relieved she was alive. It took me a moment to realize she and Percy looked like herself. The Death Mist had evaporated.

"TITANS", said the voice disdainfully. "LESSER BEINGS. IMPERFECT AND WEAK."

In front of the Doors of Death, the air darkened and solidified. The being who appeared was so massive, radiating such pure malevolence, that I wanted to crawl away and hide.

Instead, I forced my eyes to trace the god's form, starting with his black iron boots, each one as large as a coffin. His legs were covered in dark greaves; his flesh all thick purple muscle, like the ground. His armored skirt was made from thousands of blackened, twisted bones, woven together like chain links and clasped in place by a belt of interlocking monstrous arms.  
On the surface of the warrior's breastplate, murky faces appeared and submerged-giants, Cyclopes, gorgons, and drakons-all pressing against the armor as if trying to get out. The warrior's arms were bare-muscular, purple, and glistening-his hands as large as crane scoops. Worst of all was his head: a helmet of twisted rock and metal with no particular shape-just jagged spikes and pulsing patches of magma. His entire face was a whirlpool-an inward spiral of darkness. As I watched, the last particles of Titan essence from Hyperion and Krios were vacuumed into the warrior's maw.

"Tartarus." Percy said.

The warrior made a sound like a mountain cracking in half: a roar or a laugh, I couldn't be sure. "This form is only a small manifestation of my power," said the god. "But it is enough to deal with you. I do not interfere lightly, little demigod. It is beneath me to deal with gnats such as yourself."

"Uh..." Percy's legs looked like they were about to collapse under him. "Don't...you know...go to any trouble."

"You have proven surprisingly resilient," Tartarus said. "You have come too far. I can no longer stand by and watch your progress."

Tartarus spread his arms. Throughout the valley, thousands of monsters wailed and roared, clashing their weapons and bellowing in triumph. The Doors of Death shuddered in their chains.  
"Be honored, little demigods," said the god of the pit. "Even the Olympians were never worthy of my personal attention. But you will be destroyed by Tartarus himself!"

I was still shaking, but Tartarus was here and he was about to kill one of my only friends. I couldn't let that happen. I was fully prepared to charge at Tartarus when I realized I was weaponless. I had given the dagger back Annabeth. Speaking of Annabeth, she seemed speechless from fear. The army of monsters swirled around them, but after their initial roar of triumph, the horde had fallen silent. They should have been ripped to pieces by now. Instead, the monsters kept their distance, waiting for Tartarus to act.

The god of the pit flexed his fingers, examining his own polished black talons. He had no expression, but he straightened his shoulders as if he were pleased. "It is good to have form," he intoned. "With these hands, I can eviscerate you."

Next to Annabeth, Percy dropped his sword. Death Mist no longer shrouded his face, but he still had the complexion of a corpse.

Tartarus hissed again-possibly laughing. "Your fear smells wonderful," said the god. "I see the appeal of having a physical body with so many senses. Perhaps my beloved Gaea is right, wishing to wake from her slumber."

He stretched out his massive purple hand and might have plucked up Percy like a weed, but Bob interrupted. "Begone!" The Titan leveled his spear at the god. "You have no right to meddle!"

Meddle?" Tartarus turned. "I am the lord of all creatures of the darkness, puny Iapetus. I can do as I please. "

His black cyclone face spun faster. Bob roared in defiance. He charged and thrust his spear at Tartarus's chest. Before it could connect, Tartarus swatted Bob aside like he was a pesky insect. The Titan went sprawling.

"Why do you not disintegrate?" Tartarus mused. "You are nothing. You are even weaker than Krios and Hyperion."

"I am Bob," said Bob.

Tartarus hissed. "What is that? What is Bob?"

"I choose to be more than Iapetus," said the Titan. "You do not control me. I am not like my brothers."

I decided this was my cue to step in. "Nor am I."

"What?" Tartarus growled, "Who are you?"

"I am Troy."

The god smiled. It wasn't a pretty sight. "Ah yes. But you aren't really Troy right? Shall I tell the demigods why you are so eager to hide your true name?"

"I couldn't let Percy find out. Not this way. Luckily, Small Bob jumped out of Bob's coveralls and began to grow from a kitten to a fully- grown saber-toothed tiger.

"Also," Bob announced, "I have a good cat."

No-Longer-Small Bob sprang at Tartarus, sinking his claws into Tartarus's thigh. The tiger scrambled up his leg, straight under the god's chain-link skirt. Tartarus stomped and howled, apparently no longer enamored with having a physical form. Meanwhile, Bob thrust his spear into the god's side, right below his breastplate.

I watched, not sure of what I could do. I was defenseless. Tartarus roared. He swatted at Bob, but the Titan backed out of reach. Bob thrust out his fingers. His spear yanked itself free of the god's flesh and flew back to Bob's hand. Small Bob dropped out of Tartarus's skirt. He ran to his master's side, his saber-toothed fangs dripping with golden ichor.

"You will die first, Iapetus," Tartarus decided. " Afterward, I will add your soul to my armor, where it will slowly dissolve, over and over, in eternal agony." Tartarus pounded his fist against his breastplate. Milky faces swirled in the metal, silently screaming to get out.

Bob turned toward Percy and Annabeth. The Titan grinned, which was not my reaction to a threat of eternal agony. I was petrified. "Take the Doors," Bob said. "I will deal with Tartarus."

Tartarus threw back his head and bellowed-creating a vacuum so strong that the nearest flying demons were pulled into his vortex face and shredded. "Deal with me?" the god mocked. "You are only a Titan, a lesser child of Gaea! I will make you suffer for your arrogance. And as for your tiny mortal friends and the Cyclops..."

Tartarus swept his hand toward the monster army, beckoning them forward. "DESTROY THEM!"

Annabeth yelled, "Percy!"

He snatched up Riptide.

Annabeth dove for the chains holding the Doors of Death. Her drakon-bone blade cut through the left-side moorings in a single swipe. Meanwhile, Percy drove back the first wave of monsters. He stabbed an arai and yelped, "Gah! Stupid curses!" Then he scythed down a half dozen telkhines. Annabeth lunged behind him and sliced through the chains on the other side. While I watched helpless and largely ignored by the monsters, Annabeth threw the dagger at me. I caught it, and after realizing she was trying to give me a weapon, not kill me, I began stabbing at the monster with vigor.

The Doors shuddered, then opened with a pleasant Ding!

Bob and his saber-toothed sidekick continued to weave around Tartarus's legs, attacking, and dodging to stay out of his clutches. They didn't seem to be doing much damage, but Tartarus lurched around, obviously not used to fighting in a humanoid body. He swiped and missed, swiped and missed.

More monsters surged toward the Doors. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Annabeth dive at the Doors as they began to close, keeping them open with her foot. She called Percy over to her as they began to have an argument while killing any monster that approached them.

I kept on fighting, trying to get closer to them. Meanwhile, Bob's attacks were getting slower. Tartarus was learning to control his new body. Saber-toothed Small Bob lunged at the god, but Tartarus smacked the cat sideways. Bob charged, bellowing with rage, but Tartarus grabbed his spear and yanked it out of his hands. He kicked Bob downhill, knocking over a row of telkhines like sea mammal bowling pins.

"YIELD!" Tartarus thundered.

"I will not," Bob said. "You are not my master."

"Die in defiance, then," said the god of the pit. "You Titans are nothing to me. My children the giants were always better, stronger, and more vicious. They will make the upper world as dark as my realm!"  
Tartarus snapped the spear in half. Bob wailed in agony. Saber-toothed Small Bob leaped to his aid, snarling at Tartarus and baring his fangs. The Titan struggled to rise, but I knew it was over. Even the monsters turned to watch, as if sensing that their master Tartarus was about to take the spotlight. The death of a Titan was worth seeing. While they were distracted, I killed a couple more of them.

And then, a ripple of alarm passed through the army. In the distance, I heard shrieks, screams, and a persistent boom, boom, boom that was too fast to be the heartbeat in the ground-more like something large and heavy, running at full speed. An Earthborn spun into the air as if he'd been tossed. A plume of bright-green gas billowed across the top of the monstrous horde like the spray from a poison riot hose. Everything in its path dissolved.

A drakon spread its frilled collar and hissed, its poison breath filling the battlefield with the smell of pine and ginger. It shifted its hundred-foot-long body, flicking its dappled green tail and wiping out a battalion of ogres.

Riding on its back was a red-skinned giant with flowers in his rust-colored braids, a jerkin of green leather, and a lance in his hand.

"Damasen!" Annabeth cried out. So that was the big friendly giant she and Percy had met who had saved their lives.

The giant inclined his head. "Annabeth Chase, I took your advice. I chose myself a new fate."

"WHAT IS THIS?" The god of the pit hissed. "Why have you come, my disgraced son?"

He turned toward Tartarus. The drakon stamped its feet and snarled.

"Father, you wished for a more worthy opponent?" Damasen asked calmly. "I am one of the giants you are so proud of. You wished me to be more warlike? Perhaps I will start by destroying you!"  
Damasen leveled his lance and charged.

The monstrous army swarmed him, but the drakon flattened everything in its path, sweeping its tail and spraying poison while Damasen jabbed at Tartarus, forcing the god to retreat like a cornered lion.  
Bob stumbled away from the battle, his saber-toothed cat at his side and limped to the Doors. Golden ichor flowed from the wounds on his arms and chest. His janitor's outfit hung in tatters. His posture was twisted and hunched, as if Tartarus's breaking the spear had broken something inside him. Despite all that, he was grinning, his silver eyes bright with satisfaction.

"Go," he ordered. "I will hold the button." I had pretty much reached Percy and Annabeth, still slashing at nearby monsters.

Percy protested, by Annabeth seemed to convince him to let Bob do it. "Troy, come on!" Percy called out. I stopped, stunned. They wanted me to come too? But they barely knew me! Percy misinterpreted the reason I stopped and stepped out of the elevator, his sword out, ready to clear a path for me to the elevator.

Then I saw a hellhound come at Percy from behind, its claws readied to swipe through Percy's tattered shirt and into flesh and bone. I couldn't let that happen. The world depended on Percy.

 _An oath to keep with a final breath,_ the line of the prophecy resounded in my mind. I knew what I had to do. I ran faster than ever and launched myself at Percy taking the blow meant for him. Searing lines of pain cut into my back, as Percy reacted quickly and sliced the hellhound to dust. But it was too late.

With my last effort, I pushed Percy into the elevator, where Annabeth was watching with a horrified expression and threw Annabeth's dagger back at her.

And with my last breath, I told Percy "My name is Argo." I saw was Percy's stricken look of regret and grief as realization dawned on him. Then he did something surprising. He threw Riptide at me.

"It'll come back to me!" He yelled. "And Troy... I mean Argo, I'm sorry."

Then the elevator doors closed, and they were gone. I looked at the pen, then tossed it aside and watched it disappear. I wouldn't be using it. As I faded away, into the welcoming darkness, my last thought was that my promise had been fulfilled.

 **Hi!**

 **I got the idea for this story (if you're interested) when I realized that all the 'Percy has a childhood best friend who helps him in quests, etc.'/'Another demigod at CHB helps Percy when he goes on quests' the friend is always a demigod or clear-sighted mortal. So I wondered, _what if Percy's friend was a monster?_ And I got this story!**

 **Now I've finally finished this, I'm wondering what would've happened if Argo reformed a bit earlier and met Nico instead.**

 **Oh right, and a large half of this story is from _The House of Hades._**

 **And does anyone not understand how I changed what a line of the prophecy meant? I feel like I made it a bit too obvious...**

 **Please tell me if I made any typos or mistakes! Feedback would be great too!**

 **Thanks,**

 **A Summer Rose :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any recognizable characters by Rick Riordan or any text from _The House of Hades._**


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